


10 Sabezra First Kisses

by foxsykitsune



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: All of the above - Freeform, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Sabezra - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-09-19 20:30:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9459323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxsykitsune/pseuds/foxsykitsune
Summary: Because I can't decide on one scenario, this will be short stories about first kisses of Sabine and Ezra. Fluffy romance with a dash of angst because I can't help myself.





	1. Before mission kiss.

 

Set after "Trials of The Darksaber" season 3 episode 15...

....

 

Sabine lay awake in her bunk on the Ghost. She’d been unable to shut down her racing thoughts and fall asleep for hours now. She was nervous, unsettled, excited, angry, confident, unsure, sad, anxious, basically a lot was going on with her emotions right now.

She groaned heavily into her pillow and turned over again, punching it to perhaps make it cooperate with her current need of comfort.

Laying on her side she tried to close her eyes, but they seemed to open again every time as though they were spring loaded.

There was a soft knock that, at first, she thought she’d hallucinated. “Come in?” she called out quietly, unsure if someone was actually there.

The door opened to reveal a figure in her doorway. Even in the semi darkness she could distinguish who it was. “What do you want Ezra?”

“Can I come in?” he was still standing outside her room.

“I said you could.” she snarked, secretly amused at his politeness, or perhaps shyness.

Stepping in, he let the door shut behind him. “How are you?” he asked moving towards the bunk.

She chewed on her lip. “I don’t know." She answered honestly. "What are you doing here?”

She heard him breathe a laugh and she propped up on one elbow looking down at him standing next to her bed.

“I came to see how you’re feeling.” He leaned against the bunk with his forearms “You seemed... unsettled... before.” The last statement was hesitant as though he had worded it carefully.

She snorted “This late at night?" There was something he wasn't saying. "Wait, you’re not sensing me through your Jedi powers are you?” she scowled. She’d seen Kanan sense things about the crew before and wondered if Ezra was able to do the same thing now.

“Ehh.” He made a small movement. “Sort of. Your presence is a bit of a disturbing vibe right now. Wanna talk about it?”

She sighed laying flat again. “Fine. Come sit up here.” she pulled her feet in to give him room at the end of the bunk.

He didn’t move. “Are you sure?”

She threw an arm out, narrowly missing his head “I thought you said you wanted to talk, so hurry up or get out.”

He climbed the ladder and sat at her feet.

“You nervous about tomorrow?” He asked.

Tomorrow was the day they would leave to find her family.

“You could say that.” she grumped. “I’m just not sure how they’ll react to me coming back.” She thought for a moment before adding, “And I’m not sure how I’ll react to seeing them again.”

She’d played it through her head a million times already, trying to think of what might happen.

“Hey, I know this is going to be difficult for you, but you know we’re going to be with you right? You’re not facing this alone.” His voice was reassuringly sincere.

She knew he meant it, but he didn’t know what her people were capable of. He didn’t know all the things that could go wrong.

“Ezra.” she sat up. “I’m glad you’re coming with me, I really am, but you don’t know my family.”

“Hey, if they’re anything like you I’ll know they’ll be tough.” He nudged her leg softly with his fist. “And stubborn, and angry, and antisocial, and-”

“Ok Ezra” she punched his arm lightly “I get it.”

There was a momentary silence.

“What I wanted to say is you’ll do fine. We’ll be there to back you up and if they don’t want you, you know that we always will.” He must be hanging around Hera more. Words of comfort were usually her specialty. Sabine felt her heart warm within her at his words and shifted into a kneeling position, scooting a bit to be closer.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek in gratitude. “Thank you Ezra. I’ll always have a place for this family in my heart. And for you.”

He turned his gaze to hers and her heart jumped. They were so close now.

Her first reaction was to pull back, and flee the situation, but found herself set like stone.

She bit her bottom lip lightly and saw his sapphire eyes drift down to focus on it. Her stomach felt like she’d been dropped off a cliff and her blood raced in exhilaration. Was he going to do it?

He’d gotten close before, but she hadn’t let him. Now however, could quite possibly be their last night together.  
When his eyes met hers again his tongue darted across his own lips. He was definitely thinking about it.

If he needed encouragement she decided now was the time. “This could be the last time we get to be alone together.” she breathed, trying to slow her heart. What if they were killed by her family? What if she decided to stay with her family instead of going back to base with him? What if they were captured by imperial forces?

“No.” he whispered leaning in slightly. “It won’t be.” She could feel his breath on her mouth and tilted her head leaning in closer.

He made his move and she closed her eyes. His lips touched hers softly before applying light pressure. A feeling of an electric high started from where her lips met his, and coursed through her whole body.

Breaking the kiss for a few seconds she felt his light quick breaths mingling with her own. She had just kissed Ezra Bridger.

Moving forward again he reconnected their lips.

Three more times they shared slow soft kisses before he pulled back enough to look at her. Her eyes opened and she licked her lips savoring the feelings she’d gotten from his.

“Wow.” he said almost too quiet to hear. She could only nod in agreement.

It was her turn to glance at his lips with a gentle smile. He returned the same smile and leaned in again.

He was still softly kissing her and she pressed in harder, slightly opening her mouth before each kiss, hoping he knew what she wanted. His mouth parted and he brushed the tip of his tongue against hers, only slightly touching her. He continued this for a few seconds before kissing her again, softly like before.

She realized that he wasn’t going to make any aggressive moves. He was loving her in the sweet genuine way that denoted his respect for her. She had said that this might be their last night together, but he had expressed his faith in her to survive. Now she needed to believe in him as well.

She pulled away slowly.

“Sabine?” his voice was slightly wary, as though he were afraid he’d done something wrong.

She smiled “I want you to stay, but…” she swallowed, knowing she was making the right choice. “I think you need to go to bed now. Before I do something stupid.”

A wide grin burst onto his face and she was sure if it weren’t dark she would see a blush on his cheeks.

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” he chuckled lightly.

She lay back down on her bed smiling at him. She watched his cute smile turn into his jokester grin. “By the way, my name’s not something stupid, it’s Ezra Bridger.”

She groaned at the dumb joke and used her feet to push him off the bunk. “Ugh, just go!”

He landed, slightly stumbling, and laughed, moving closer to her again. “Alright, goodnight.” He must’ve stepped up on the table or seat in the bottom of her bunking area because he was able to lean over her and swiftly peck her lips. Hopping down he turned to leave. “Get some sleep Sabine.”

He reached the door and it took all her strength to let him leave. She sighed when the door shut behind him and turned away, facing the bulkhead.

She curled into a ball, a wide happy smile across her features. She buried her face in her pillow and giggled. What was happening to her?

Her whole body was flooded with excitement and contentment. He had kissed her!!!

Sure they’d have to talk about what happened and what it had meant eventually, but for now she just wanted to enjoy this feeling of bliss.

Tomorrow could wait.

She was happy now.


	2. Truth or Dare Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little game goes a long way... Set right after "Iron Squadron" season 3 episode 8

 

It was night time on Atollon, most people had already gone to bed, but it wasn't extremely late. One room however, still had occupants that were awake and alert. 

It was the so called Iron Squadron’s last night on base before Commander Sato could ship them off to help the other Mykapo refugees relocate.

Gooti, Jonner, and Mart had been joined by Ezra and Sabine in swapping tales and light hearted conversation.

“We should do something else.” Mart had said, clearly bored at their current topic of discussion. 

“Like what?” Jonner asked eagerly, ready for an adventure. 

“We could go walk around outside.” Sabine suggested while stretching her limbs. She was getting tired of sitting still. 

“Or we can play truth or dare.” Gooti said, a hint of mischief in her voice. 

“Yeah!” Jonner agreed. “That’s always fun.”

“I’ll play.” Mart agreed nonchalantly. 

“Wait, play what now?” Ezra questioned. 

“Oh man! Have you never played truth or dare?” Jonner asked. 

Ezra shook his head. Sabine wasn’t surprised. How would a kid that grew up alone ever have the opportunity to play?

Gooti explained for him “Basically, if someone asks you truth or dare you pick which one you want. If you pick truth they can ask you any question and you have to answer with the absolute truth. If you pick dare then they give you a task to complete and you have to do it.” She smirked “So what do you say? You brave enough?”

Sabine was about to say that maybe this was a bit juvenile, but Ezra had to open his big mouth first. “We can handle that. Right Sabine?” He smiled at her, his eyes full of excitement. She nodded not wanting to be the spoilsport in the room.

“Good!” Gooti giggled before turning on her crewmate “Mart, truth or dare?”

They progressed through a few rounds of hilarity.There was singing, showing off dance moves, Sabine getting to draw on Jonner’s face, and lots of embarrassing truths told in the small group. 

“Haha that was good!” Gooti laughed at Jonner’s completed dare. 

Jonner turned his eyes on Ezra. “Ok then, truth or dare Ezra?”

Ezra hummed playfully “I’ll go with truth.”

Jonner grinned widely “Who do you have a crush on?” his eyebrows rose suggestively. 

Sabine wanted to hide, but settled for rolling her eyes. Great, now these kids would know and probably taunt them about it publicly. She didn’t need this. 

She looked at Ezra and glared. He better not say.

Ezra’s face was red. “Uh, I don’t think I should-”

Gooti cut off his bashful attempt at escape. “NO! You said you’d play and you have to answer!! That is the rule.”

The others agreed. 

Mart smirked “Come on man, just say it. Whatever happens here stays here. That’s also a rule.”

Ezra glanced back to Sabine and she intensified her glare. He better not.

“You have to answer or we’ll give you a dare that you won’t want, believe me.” Mart’s voice was taunting.

“Fine.” He looked back at Mart defeated. “I like Sabine.”

She closed her eyes and hid her face in her palm, not wanting to see their reactions. 

“What!?” Jonner exclaimed “No way!”

Mart was silent, but Sabine could picture the smug look on his face. 

Gooti just giggled “I knew it!”

“Oh yeah?” Ezra asked. “Gooti truth or dare?”

She was still snickering behind her hand. “Truth.”

Sabine opened her eyes to look at Ezra. He was still flushed. “Who do you have a crush on?”

Gooti shrugged “Mart knows I like him. It doesn’t matter.”

Ezra clearly looked beaten. He’d probably thought to embarrass her as well. 

Gooti hummed “Sabine, truth or dare?”

Sabine sighed. She couldn’t pick truth now. Gooti would ask her if she liked Ezra in return. “Dare.”

Gooti looked like she couldn’t be more pleased, which was probably a bad thing. Sabine hated this game for a reason. With a wicked grin she pointed at Ezra “I dare you to kiss him for thirty seconds.”

“What!?” Ezra croaked. “Wait! Like on the cheek?”

Gooti shook her head “A real kiss, on the lips.”

“Woah woah woah that’s-” Ezra tried to protest, going pale. 

“It’s part of the game.” Mart leaned forward. “Just get it over with.”

“Ooooh!” Jonner crooned and chanted. “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!” 

Sabine growled. She had known this game wasn’t the best idea, but no...Ezra had to go and play, getting her involved. Then again it was just a kiss. It’s not like they got dared to go get married.

“Look guys...” Ezra began, looking just as panicked as before.

“Fine.” Sabine conceded. “Just don’t tell anyone.” she threatened them all.

“Whatever happens here, stays here” Jonner confirmed, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

Gooti clapped her hands “Ha!! Do it!!”

Sabine stood rolling her eyes for dramatic effect. 

She marched to where Ezra was sitting, and flopped down in his lap. He yelped in surprise and her arms went around his neck. She gave him a clear threatening glare, making sure he knew this was his fault. He swallowed nervously and grinned with a small chuckle as if to say sorry.

“Are you timing this?” she asked behind her.

“I got it.” Mart pushed a button on his wrist chrono.

She nodded, turning back to Ezra and leaning in. Her lips met his and a feeling of adrenalin flooded her veins. She broke away momentarily before melding to him again. Her arms tightened around his neck as he started to respond. He was kissing back now and her heart started pounding as though butterflies, no, more like tibidees were flapping around in it. His hands had been hovering off to the side, as though afraid to touch her, but now they landed on her waist. 

She wanted to continue, but surely Mart would call time soon. 

Ezra’s hands tightened their grip as she pressed in harder. Breaking off again she took a breath while dusting her lips across his delicately. 

How many seconds had it been?

She found she didn’t care as he leaned forward and claimed her lips again. 

He kissed her bottom lip, then the top and she pulled away. His eyes were still closed and her mind was hazy. 

“How long to go?” she questioned turning to look at Mart.

He had his hands locked behind his head, clearly not looking at the time and a satisfied smirk was displayed on his face. Gooti was trying her best to keep in her laughter and Jonner bust out into guffaws. 

Sabine huffed in frustration. She’d been set up!

Knocking Ezra’s hands from her waist she shoved him back against his chair and stood. “There.” She turned to the others. “I kissed him.You happy now?”

Gooti snickered “I’ll bet he is.”

Sabine flicked an annoyed glance at Ezra. Sure enough, that same stupid daydream smile he always got around her when they were younger was back. 

She flopped down in her chair and glared at Mart. “You! Truth or dare?”

He chuckled “I’m not afraid of you. Dare.”

She stood and moved to be directly in front of him. “Stand up.” she ordered. He looked at her strangely, but obeyed. “Take your shirt off.” she glowered at him. 

He looked wary and surprised at first, but quickly smirked, glancing at Ezra. “Looks like you failed to impress.” he jabbed.

Once he was shirtless she spun him around and pulled out a color stick from her belt, writing between his shoulderblades. She backed up admiring her work and spoke “Alright, I dare you to break into your uncle’s office and bring back the holo pic he keeps of you on his desk.”

He scoffed “You already did something to me! You can’t do two dares!”

She chuckled darkly “I never dared you to let me write on you.” 

Jonner and Ezra were losing it at this point trying not to laugh too hard. Gooti, who had been watching Sabine with an indignant look, now smirked. “She has a point Mart.”

Mart frowned trying to look at what she’d written. 

“You have ten minutes.” Sabine jeered tapping her wrist com’s timer. 

He tried to protest, but Ezra spoke up “I thought you said you weren’t afraid?”

“You did say that Mart.” Jonner grinned at his friend. 

“Fine, I’ll do it.” he growled grabbing for his shirt. 

Sabine was faster. “Go on.” she held it out of reach behind her.

He growled and stomped out. 

“Won’t he get in a lot of trouble for that?” Ezra asked concerned. 

Sabine looked down at her chrono. “Well, if I know Commander Sato he’s still in his office.” Her smile was the most devilish she could manage and she looked at the others. “Wanna go watch?”

They nodded and stood, rushing from the room. 

Sabine caught Ezra’s shoulder and spun him to face her. “You say a word about what happened here to anyone…” she let the threat hang silent between them, her finger pointing into his chest. 

He shook his head “Never!”

“And remember that it was just a dare.” she scolded.

He looked away nodding morosely. “Yeah, I know.” 

She smiled. “Good.” Leaning in she kissed his lips briefly and smirked at the look of utter confusion on his face. “Come on, you’re gonna want to see this.”

She raced after the others and caught sight of Mart standing Just outside Sato’s office, his uncle in the open doorway clearly bewildered at why his nephew was shirtless in the corridor. They hid in an adjoining hallway and watched Mart explaining himself before turning to head back to them. Sabine watched the smile spread on the commander’s face and laughter erupt from him. 

He must have figured it was an elaborate prank to find Mart wearing no shirt and “Hi uncle!” in blue across his back.

“Now that was awesome!” Jonner nudged Sabine. 

Mart was red all over and snatched his shirt back from Sabine. “I’m bored of this game, let’s do something else.” He complained.

Sabine and Ezra glanced at each other with similar looks of amusement. This would definitely be a night to look back on and laugh at.

As they filed back into the room Ezra’s hand brushed hers. 

She bit her cheek to keep from smiling and wondered if maybe truth or dare was a good game after all. 


	3. Secret Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are fun. Set any time season 3...not sure when.

 

“Knock it off!” Sabine nudged Ezra aside playfully. They were assigned kitchen duty that night and stood side by side, preparing dinner aboard the Ghost. Ezra had been super flirty that day and had started moving closer and closer to her while she tried to complete her task.

She wasn’t sure when things had changed between them or when they’d started their little game, but lately they’d been trying not to get caught being close to each other. Hands lingering when passing things to one another, knees or feet touching under a table, brushing against each other in a hallway, secret glances and touches had become the norm.

They’d been getting more and more daring with the rest of the crew around. Sabine found the adrenalin rush of possibly getting caught becoming addictive. Not to mention the feelings it gave her when he’d draw close to her.

“Go away!” she growled, pushing him again.

“Oh come on Sabine. No one’s here.” He whispered as he sidled up against her again.

“Ezra!” she looked towards the doorway lowering her voice. “They’ll see.”

He was about to reply when Zeb popped his head in.

“Are you two done yet? I’m starving.” He complained. They had jumped apart at the sound of his voice and Sabine looked at Ezra mouthing “I told you so”

“Yeah almost.” Ezra answered Zeb’s question with a smile at the tall lasat.

Sabine didn’t dare look back at him or at Ezra.

“Good, hurry up” Zeb growled retreating back into the corridor.

Ezra scooched closer and she scoffed “What did I say?” she pointed at him accusingly.

“Alright fine.” He admitted stepping away again. “I don’t see why we can’t just be public about this.” he mumbled.

She stopped what she was doing and turned to him, one hand on her hip. “Oh? And what exactly is this?”

His face reflected his confusion and his voice uncertainty “I...I don’t know...I thought...I thought that you’d want to be more than friends with the way things have been going.”

She stayed silent, chewing on his statement. What had all this been for if not to signal that they were both interested in each other? But still…

“I don’t know if that’s what’s been happening.” She told him reluctantly.

“Isn’t it?” he inquired, his voice sounding a little frustrated. “You wouldn’t even give me the time of day before, but then things changed. And you’re obviously not a very touchy person with friends so why have you been changing towards me if you didn’t want us to become a couple?” He had a point. 

She closed her eyes and took a breath. Why had she let him get this close to her? She thought back on all their attempts of subtle interaction. Eye contact that lasted a little too long to not be meaningful at mission debriefs, sitting across from each other in the mess and playing footsie, leaning close to one another to point out something on a datapad or while flying a ship, hands clasped under tables to keep hidden.

She’d almost lost focus the time he’d had a hand on her leg under the table and started tracing patterns on her inner thigh. She’d had to make herself pay attention to what Hera was saying and keep nodding at the right moments. And the time she’d tried to reach something from one of the higher storage units. He’d used the force to get it down before holding it hostage behind his back. She’d accepted the challenge and pressed herself against him as much as she could while “trying” to get it back from him. She’d almost kissed him that time.

Speaking of kissing.

“Ezra, if I wanted to be your girlfriend I would’ve kissed you by now.” She reasoned, trying to avoid where this was going. She wasn’t ready for a public relationship. There were too many variables against them.

“Ok. That’s fair.” He sounded a little disappointed. “But just so you know, if we ever kiss, I’ll take that as a sign we’re together.”

She chuckled at him, but then got an idea. “Alright, but what if I kissed you and told you I still wanted to keep things secret?”

He looked over at her and shrugged “We’ve been pretty good at it so far. I think.”

Maybe she wasn’t ready to admit to the rest of the galaxy that her heart belonged to Ezra, but looking into his eyes at this moment she wanted to show him that it did.

“Well in that case…” Glancing around she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door of the galley. She peeked out in the hall making sure no one was there and then backed against the wall next to the door. She pulled him closer and stared up at him in a gaze that could only mean one thing.

Kiss me.

Her hands placed his on her waist and he leaned in towards her. The sheer thrill and excitement that they could be discovered at any moment was enough to set her blood rushing and her heart skipping. When his lips touched hers it only intensified those feelings.

It was a brief kiss and he pulled away smiling at her. She mirrored him but as he was leaning in again, she heard footsteps in the hallway.

Pushing him away they fled back to their original spots, just as Hera entered the galley “Hey Sabine, did you look over the list I gave you earlier?”

Sabine glanced at Ezra, a blushing grin across his face. “Yes, it seemed pretty accurate to what I was thinking we’d need.” She said trying to sound normal. 

 She carried on her conversation briefly, but the looks she gave to Ezra and the ones she got in return kept her a bit preoccupied.

“Did I miss something here?” Hera asked suddenly.

“What?” Sabine turned towards her. “What are you talking about Hera?” She grew nervous that the captain could see right through their facade.

The Twi’lek pilot narrowed her eyes looking between them suspiciously “I mean you two are acting like you’ve got a secret.”

Sabine had to think fast before she could let Ezra say something. In her mind he would probably say something that nine times out of ten would blow their cover.

“Ok Hera, but you can’t tell anyone.” She started, seeing the surprised look on Ezra’s face. “Ezra was planning another prank and I was just discussing it with him.” she gave him a pointed look, telling him to play along.

Ezra nodded “Uh yeah, we were just trying to be sneaky about it.”

Hera studied them for a moment before sighing “Just don’t mess up my ship.” She sent them a warning glare and left the galley.

They were in silence for a moment listening to the fading footsteps. 

“So, about that prank…” Ezra nudged her “Wanna do some planning later in your room?”

She laughed once “You would ask that.” He wasn't the most subtle at trying to get her alone. 

“Hey, how else am I gonna spend time with my secret girlfriend who doesn’t want anyone to know about us?” His tone and expression were semi playful, but she recognized a hint of annoyance underneath.

“I promise it won’t always be like this.” She sighed “But right now you need to think of what might happen if our enemies find out we’re more than friends. We would both become targets to use against each other.” She reached out and took his hand. “Please just listen to me this once.”

He nodded “Alright Sabine.”

Dropping his hand she smiled “Good, now let’s finish before Zeb comes back and asks what we’ve been doing.” she chuckled.

He laughed and swiftly kissed her cheek “Later?”

She shook her head at his eagerness “I guess I can let you visit for a few minutes.” Her voice dripped with heavy sarcasm.

"Hey, better than nothing." He grinned going back to his tasks.

In her mind she replayed the kiss.

It wasn’t like how most first kisses in holo dramas were portrayed. It wasn’t romantic, it wasn’t sappy, it was quick, impulsive, reckless.

Just like them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just moved houses so I might not get to write as much. Sorry in advance.


	4. Goodbye Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's pretend that Sabine becomes leader of her clan and all goes well for her, but Ezra and the others need to go back to their side of the rebellion.

 

 

Normally goodbyes were not this difficult.

Sabine looked out from the platform she was on to where they were getting ready to depart. The cold air nipped at her cheeks as a frozen breeze blew through the trees.

She understood that this was not meant to be the last time they’d ever see each other, but no one was ever promised a future.

She watched Kanan, her father figure/teacher walking up the ramp into the Phantom. He’d done so much for her over these past years and she would never forget what he and the rest of the crew had become to her. They were a family. They had taken her in at one of her lowest points and lifted her up, making her stronger. She stood here today reunited with her real family because of them.

As much as she didn’t like to admit it at first, she realized now that Hera had become a mother figure to her, and she would miss the woman’s words of wisdom and strong character.

She thought of Zeb and how he had filled the role of a brother. He’d protected her and commiserated with her during the hard times.

She watched Chopper rolling around the outside of the ship, creating little tracks in the snow. The droid was ill tempered and a nuisance to some, but she'd had some laughs and some saves from the squat astromech.

The last presence that crossed her thoughts was that of the boy descending the ramp and looking up towards her from the foot of the stairs on which she stood.

Ezra Bridger.

Oh how he had annoyed her through the years. He had been such a bother to her, but she’d found in her heart that after all was said and done, he was the one she would miss the most.

She couldn’t bring herself to smile back at him as he beamed up at her. She had previously tried to step forward in order to move down the stairs, but she knew that if she did, she’d have to say her goodbyes.

They were headed back to Atollon and she was staying at her home with her people and Fenn Rau.

She turned and entered the main hall of the building behind her, holding her breath to keep herself steady. Everyone was occupied with things outside, leaving her a moment of solitude to think. She took a few slow steps forward.

Surely they’d see each other again. 

This wasn’t goodbye forever.

Was it?

The Empire was constantly closing in on the rebel base and she had other clans to muster.

“Sabine?” it was the familiar Lothalian voice that distracted her from her thoughts.

She turned to see him standing just inside the doorway.

“I’m not great at goodbyes.” she explained, moving farther away from him at a brisk pace.

“Sabine!” he raced after her, footfalls echoing in the open space around them.

She stopped and swiveled to face him. “Please don’t”

He halted a few steps from her. “You know this isn’t really goodbye right? We could come back and visit.” He insisted. “And you know where the base is so-”

“Stop Ezra. Please.” She closed her eyes a moment. For some reason she had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that she’d never again see the bright smile and vibrant blue eyes of the boy standing before her.

Her heart panged at the look of worry on his features. “Sabine, what’s wrong?”

She let air slowly fill her lungs, holding onto her emotions with all her strength. “What if we never meet again Ezra?”

He looked at her confused “What do you mean? Of course we’ll see-”

“Ezra be rational.” She bit out harshly “You can’t pretend that everything is going to be perfect! You can’t pretend that we’re not in danger every day of our lives! It doesn’t work like that!” She found herself getting mad to keep from breaking.

His features settled into a calm mask. “I know we’re in danger. We always have been. So why should that change anything?”

It was times like this that she wanted to slap him and ask where the real Ezra was. He was getting too deep. Where was the stupid kid they’d picked up on Lothal?

“Sabine, I know that there will be battles that we lose, but I'm not going to give up on the idea that I’ll see you again in the future.” He moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. “And if it makes you feel any better, I have a feeling that we will see each other again. Call it Jedi intuition or whatever.” he smirked.

 _Ezra you complete utter fool_ She thought. Could he really be so naive? She bowed her head and sighed. “Ezra.” she whispered. “If only you could promise me that.” She broke off, her words catching in her throat.

No one could know the future. He and Kanan had had visions, true, but even then, things were never as they seemed.

He moved forward slowly and drew her close to him. She could tell he’d almost hesitated in hugging her, but she was glad he hadn’t pulled back.

She laid her head on his shoulder and clung to him, tangling her fingers in his jacket. There were times that she hated physical contact, but this was a moment that she craved it. She felt calm in his arms and found herself wishing that he wouldn’t let go.

“Sabine.” He whispered. “I promise I’ll see you again.”

Of course he had to go and ruin the moment, She broke away, pushing him off her “You can’t just say that Ezra. You can’t promise that we’ll see each other again any more than you can promise me that Chopper won’t make Zeb mad, or that Atollon won’t ever be found by the Empire, or that the-”

“Sabine” he stopped her desperate rant. “I _can_ promise you. I can promise you because I have hope in you and in the rebellion. I have faith in Kanan, Hera, Zeb, and yes even Chopper, but you by far have taken most of my hope, most of my trust, most of my faith. I know you’re not able to use the Force like I do, but there are some things that I can just feel with all of my being. One of those things is you Sabine.” He looked away as if embarrassed. “I feel you. I feel how alive and strong you are. I know that you’re conflicted right now. I can feel your pain and I want to chase it out and make you happy. I have a feeling that we will see each other again and I know it will happen because all of that worry you hold is only inside you, not around us both. The Force is shaping our destiny.”

“I wish it wouldn’t” she grumbled. She didn’t need to think that there was something in the universe that she couldn’t see or feel controlling what happens to her.

“Do you trust me Sabine?” he asked softly. The look on his face was meaningful and she knew this wasn’t a random question for him.

“Of course I do Ezra.” She meant it and it didn’t surprise her. They’d proved their loyalty to each other again and again over the years.

“Then trust me when I say we’ll meet again.” He smiled, raising his eyebrows at her as though he thought his phrase would fix everything.

She breathed out softly and nodded. It was all she could do to placate him. Her heart felt the sting of him leaving again and she bit her tongue to keep herself from asking him to stay. She realized this was something she had to do on her own.

She looked at him again, seeing the sincerity he held and the belief in his own words. It gave her a glimmer of hope, but she knew that she had to be realistic.

It was at this moment that she decided then to do something she’d wanted to do for a while now.

After today, she might not get another chance.

“Alright Ezra, I’ll believe you.” She watched him smile in triumph and placed a hand to his face. “But just in case.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips.

She made it quick, so if one of her family members decided to pop in, they wouldn't see.

Drawing back she watched the shock go through his features. “Did you just…” he paused unable to form the rest of the sentence.

She smiled “I wanted to give you something to remember. In case we don-” she was cut off by his sudden move forward and his lips crashing to hers.

This was one time she didn’t curse his impulsiveness. Wrapping her arms around his neck she gave into him. At this point she didn’t even care what would happen if any of her family walked in to see them like this. All she wanted was this little moment all to themselves to be solidified in her memory.

They broke off at last and he held her tightly, placing a kiss to her temple. “Well.” he said, sounding winded. “If I wasn’t looking forward to seeing you again before, I am now.”

She bit her lip, smiling. “I guess this means you’ll try harder to stay alive and come back to me?”

He nodded “Only if you will too.”

She hummed “Well, I might need some more encouragement.”

He obliged, kissing her again. Mouths worked in rhythm and tongues twined while his arm snaked around her waist and a hand slid over her cheek.

She was getting frantic, her heart was taking over her head. Her mind screamed slow down, but it was drowned out by the need to be his in that moment. His hand moved from her face to her thigh, hitching around the back of it. She followed the signal and hopped up into his arms, her legs locking around him. If she didn’t have her jetpack on he could press her against a wall and continue, but she found that he was strong enough to hold her there with no support and it thrilled her even more.

She breathed out a small moan against his mouth as electricity bolted through her stomach, and he let loose his own sound as she raked her fingers over his scalp.

She started planning how they could slip away and finish this, but it all came screeching to a halt.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused them to pause. Sabine would've loved to disappear at that moment, but that wasn't exactly possible. She unhooked her legs and Ezra lowered her to stand on her own. She glanced at him and figured her cheeks must be the same color red as his were currently. She disengaged from him and slid her hand into his, squeezing it slightly before letting go and moving around him to face their interrupter.

Fenn Rau stood at the doors of the hall, arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on his face.

She wondered if she should try to explain to him or just let what he’d seen speak for itself. She doubted any excuses would work at the moment anyway.

“I assume you were just saying goodbye.” Rau raised an eyebrow at her as she got closer.

She looked up at him and shrugged guiltily, cringing at the thought of him holding this over her head in the future.

Ezra chuckled nervously as he came up behind her. “She was just making sure I don’t do anything stupid and get killed before we see each other again.”

She watched a smirk grow on Rau’s face. “Well then, you better say a proper goodbye.” he turned to leave. “And make it quick, or I won’t be able to guarantee who the next one to walk in here will be.”

He exited and she could see him standing just outside the door as if on guard. She smiled at his support and turned back to Ezra. “Please take care of yourself Ezra.”

He laughed “I should be telling you that. I still think Mandalorians are crazy.” They stood for a moment gazing at one another before she stepped forward and kissed him softly once more.

“Goodbye Ezra.” she whispered, pulling away slightly.

“We’ll see each other soon.” he promised and pressed his lips to her forehead. They made their way down to the ship, and she said her goodbyes to Chopper and Kanan.

“Thank you.” she told Kanan with a hug. “For everything.”

He chuckled at her “If you ever need us, we’ll be here.”

She smiled and turned to Ezra “Oh, and don’t touch my stuff while I’m gone Ezra.” she scowled playfully.

He smirked “What? You mean I can’t sleep in your bunk and finally have my own room again?”

She growled “No, because you’ll turn it into a trash pile.”

“Hey! I’m not that messy.” he protested.

“Uh, have you seen your room?” she countered “Touch my room and you die.” she threatened.

Kanan smiled at their antics, but interrupted. “We'd better get going.”

Sabine felt her heart drop into her stomach. This was it. They were leaving.

She nodded at Ezra. “Remember not to do anything stupid.” she half smiled. If her family weren’t behind her she’d fling herself at him again and beg him to stay with her. She could only imagine the look on her mother’s face if she suddenly started making out with a Jedi in front of everyone.

“I’ll be careful if you will.” He grinned.

She shook her head. “I can’t promise anything.” She looked straight into his eyes with all the intensity she could manage. “I’ll be waiting for word from you. Whenever you feel like seeing me again.”

The slow nod he gave her proved he’d caught her meaning. He let a small smile form on his lips “I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m coming so I don’t get shot down again.”

She chuckled and shrugged “Well, don’t get your hopes up that you won’t.”

She moved back from the ship and watched them take off, snow whipping around from their ascent.

Despite all the comforting words and assurances he’d given her, she still felt like the possibility of them meeting again was slim. She folded her arms around her middle to quell the ache she felt. There was so much that she’d never told him. So much she still wanted to say. She hadn’t even told him she loved him.

A hand clasped her shoulder and she glanced over to Rau, standing beside her. “Don’t worry. He’s a tough one, that Bridger.” He said, just quiet enough for only her to hear.

She tried to nod, but looked back up to the fading ship instead. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe everything would be alright.

All she could do was wait, and focus on uniting her clan with others against the Empire.

And maybe one day she’d see a familiar ship and hear a familiar voice leading the attack on Lothal.

And maybe if they were lucky they’d make it through the battle and finally be reunited once more.

She started to understand now how Ezra could hope for things so ardently.

Hope in a future was the only thing that could keep the knives in her heart at bay as the ship disappeared completely from her view.

 _One day Ezra._ She silently promised. _Stay alive till then._

 


	5. Dying Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning! You might cry!! MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!

 

 

The ground assault on Lothal continued while the aerial battle roared on overhead.

Taking cover behind a wrecked troop transport, Sabine aimed another volley of shots at the stormtroopers that had holed up near their facility.

She looked up as the Ghost flew overhead demolishing another TIE fighter and crashing it into the base in front of them. _Always right on time._ She smiled.

She took the momentary distraction as an opportunity to rally her forces and charge. Maybe they could finally take the base and drive the imps from their stronghold. Flooding into the base, quickened by their jet packs, the Mandalorians were easily able to subdue imperial forces. Stormtroopers were no match for them. She always knew the Empire could never beat their tradition of training warriors.

Sabine looked around, there were less troops than she'd imagined. Opening her comm she called out. “Specter 5 to Ghost, base is secure.” Static met her in return.  Maybe they were out of range. “Specter 5 to Specter 1?” Nothing. “Specter 6? Rex do you read? Anyone in Phoenix squadron?”

She was getting frustrated. This shouldn't happen unless comms were down. And that shouldn't happen in the base unless…

“Everyone out!!!” She yelled, directing her group to flee. Her heart raced as she looked around searching for the trap that she'd suspected. She couldn't see anything apparent but figured it must be further into the base. “I'm going in to see if I can spot anything.” She took a step forward but was caught by the arm.

“No, you're too valuable” one of her men had tried to stop her. “Let us go in.”

She yanked away. “Look, I'm trained in explosives and the imperial computer systems I can dismantle anything they've rigged up, and there might not be anything there.” She wouldn't take no for an answer “Get outside and stand guard with the others.” He obeyed and she ran into the base.

Sure enough the base’s computer was hooked into what appeared to be a self destruct sequence. This was easy. She pulled off her helmet and started inputting codes. She growled at the fact that she didn't have Chopper. This would go so much faster with him there.

“SABINE!!” A voice yelled out through the base.

“I’m here!” She replied. Ezra ran through the doorway, his green blade ignited and ready for a fight. What was he doing all the way over here? He had been with Kanan and Rex in the capital.

“Ezra, if we can shut this down we can use the data in these computers against the empire. And any weapons they still have.”

He killed the blade and rushed to her side “No Sabine it's too late, they've rigged it so it can't be reversed! It’s a set up! Thrawn knew you’d be coming here!”

“What?” She took her eyes from the console for a few seconds to check if he was being serious.

“We have to go!!” He looked terrified and she knew it wasn't speculation. She grabbed her helmet and put it on.

A loud beeping sounded and she glanced back at the control panel, their time had just been cut to mere seconds. “GO!!” She yelled, running with him out of the base. She didn't think they'd make it.

Engaging her jet pack she called to him “Ezra!” He took her cue and jumped to hold on to her. It was just like when she'd saved him from Saxon and his men on the moon of Concord Dawn. She flew as fast as she could towards the hangar doors, commanding her men to flee as they approached.

Barely making it to the open, she felt the shockwave catch them. Blinding heat and pressure flung them clear of the mouth of the hangar and she landed hard, skidding to a halt.

She must've blacked out because she opened her eyes to see she was surrounded by her clansmen. Her helmet had been removed and she could smell smoke. She blinked, trying to clear her vision and attempted to move. She found herself held inplace by a few of her fellows. Some had removed their own helmets and were looking at her in an oddly somber way. A light was flashed in her eyes and she felt sluggish, her mind was foggy as she tried to recall what had happened. She lay back for a moment as the base and the explosion filtered back into her memory. She shifted, brushing off her compatriots and sitting up. She clenched her teeth as she felt pain shoot through her. There would definitely be a lot of bruising and possibly a few cracked ribs. Her shoulder protested her movements and she looked around for Ezra. He’d certainly be worried about her.

She caught sight of a familiar orange clad pair of legs, just visible behind a group of crouching Mandalorians, their acting medic was in the circle and her blood ran cold. She was much more important to them than a lone Jedi, which meant that she wasn’t nearly as hurt as Ezra was. She would've been first priority, unless he was…

Sabine tried to rise but a wave of dizziness hit her like another shockwave.

“You shouldn’t move.” a voice said beside her. She turned to look at the woman that had caught her and spoken.

“How is he?” Sabine asked, fearing the answer.

The woman looked at her grimly, not replying.

Sabine pulled away from the woman. Others tried to catch her and hold her back, but she wouldn’t let them keep her away from him, not while she still had fight left in her.

“MOVE!” she screamed out, pushing her way to his fallen form and collapsing beside him. She could see the medic was doing all he could, but the sight before her wasn’t one that would be fixed easily. Large bits of shrapnel had embedded themselves in his torso. A bacta patch had been placed on his temple, but blood was visibly soaking through. Her mouth went dry in panic.They needed to get him out of there. They needed to get him to a bacta tank quickly.

Praying her wrist comm still worked, she keyed into a well used frequency. Specter 5 to Ghost, Specter 6 is down, we need immediate medevac…” she gasped in a breath, feeling the sting in her ribcage. “We’re located just outside the weapons factory.”

She hoped her message got out.

“What happened?” she asked out loud to anyone that would answer.

“You came out and the first blast threw all of us down.” One of the men clarified “There was another blast and he got up. He was using his Jedi powers to hold back most of the debris.” She looked around and sure enough, large chunks of the base were formed in a semicircle around them. He must have stopped them in midair and dropped them so their allies wouldn’t be crushed. “He saved us, but he couldn’t stop some of the smaller bits from…” The man fell silent.

Sabine looked at Ezra’s torso again. Blood was visible around the edges of the shrapnel and the medic had made no move to remove the shards poking from his skin. This meant that he most likely thought that Ezra wouldn’t last long if he did.

“Ezra.” she placed a hand against his face and cringed at how cold and pale he was. “Ezra hang in there.” She said reassuringly, not knowing if he could hear her.

She looked to the medic who had sat back and stopped his work. He wiped his brow and looked at her with a small shake of his head.

That couldn’t mean what she thought it did. “If we can get him into a tank?” she asked quietly.

The medic shrugged heavily “I honestly don’t know at this point.”

She looked around the sky frantically. Her call had to have gotten out. “Someone go and see if we can get a transport over here!” she ordered. “Are there other wounded?”

The medic spoke up again “A few minor injuries, including your own, but he managed to shield almost everyone else.”

She looked back to the face of the boy lying before her. “Ezra?” her fingertips gently caressed his cheek. She could hear explosions and ships fighting in the distance, she felt the heat from the factory flames at her back, and heard the soft rustling of the tall grass of Lothal. It all seemed surreal to her with him like this. 

“We have to keep moving.” A male voice said as hand was placed on her shoulder.

She looked up at the armored man. “I can’t just leave him here.” she said firmly.

“With all due respect, we can’t just wait for the Empire to-” She wasn’t having anyone telling her what to do at that moment and she cut off the speaker with her own speech.

“If you feel you need to go, then do so. I’ll order you to go, complete our mission of taking Lothal, and report back to me.” She couldn’t bear to leave Ezra now.

“Ma’am, you could be in danger if you stay here.” One of her other warriors insisted.

Gloved hands tried to pull her to her feet and she shoved against armor plates to get away. “NO!” she screamed, her throat burning from the smoke of the ruined base and her ribs aching. “LET ME GO! THAT’S AN ORDER!”

They must’ve thought her judgment compromised because they tried to pull her farther away. “STOP!!” she cried out “PLEASE!!!” Nothing availed, so at last she screamed “LET ME GO!!! I LOVE HIM!!”

They stopped tugging at her “I love him!” she said firmly. “And you will let me go back to him!” she growled, dropping her hand to the darksaber hilt on her waist, feeling her muscles tense for a fight.

Hands released her and she stumbled back to him. She looked around at her faithful group. “You can all go if you wish, but I love him and I’m staying at his side!”

No one moved. She knew they would rather die here defending her, than run.

“I knew it.” a soft voice drew her attention. Ezra’s eyes were open now and he was smiling up at her.

“Ezra!” She brought her hand back to his face, gently tracing against his cheek.

“You...you said you love me.” He weakly smirked. “I knew it all along.” He tried to laugh, but coughed, causing him to wince in pain.

“Ezra, don’t talk. It’ll be ok.” she soothed. “We’re getting a medical transport for you, you need to save your strength.”

“I love you too Sabine.” He took shallow breaths and closed his eyes.

“Ezra?” She asked concerned he would pass out from the pain or blood loss.

His azure eyes opened again. “I'm right here Sabine.”

He raised an arm slowly, placing his hand to her cheek. She held it in place with her own, leaning into his touch.

“I wanted to ask you something before it's too late.” His thumb twitched against her cheekbone.

“Ezra no, you'll be fine! You can ask me anything you want once you're fixed up.” She bit her lip hoping beyond hope that she was right.

He wheezed a laugh and coughed again, a thin trail of blood coursing down from the corner of his mouth.

“Ezra please save your strength.” She begged “There's help on the way.”

He shook his head lightly “I need to ask you Sabine.”

“Fine.” She agreed “If it'll make you shut up and rest.”

He smiled “I wanted to ask you for a long time, but I could never get up the courage.”

She felt her heart beat in trepidation of what he would say next.

“Sabine Wren, will you marry me?” he croaked out between pale lips.

She didn’t think her chest could hurt any more than it did already, but he had just proved her wrong.

She bit her lip, trying not to cry. She’d come to accept his love for her was never ending, and that she too in turn loved him. “If we make it out of this fight then yes, I will marry you Ezra Bridger.”

His smile disappeared. “I meant regardless.” he gazed at her meaningfully. 

She felt the hot trail of a tear fall down her face. He swiped at it with his thumb.

“That had better be a happy tear.” He smiled tenderly.

She had to swallow a sob as she smiled down at him. “Yes.” She lied.

“Good” he said closing his eyes “Fenn Rau told me that all you have to do is say some sort of vow to each other and you're married.”

She nodded, letting him feel it against his hand.

“Will you tell me what it is?”He opened his cerulean eyes once more.

She bent her head trying to quell the feelings rising up in her throat. She couldn’t talk. It hurt too much. She raised her gaze to the man sitting across from her and opened and shut her mouth trying to utter the words, motioning at him to help her. 

“It starts out, Mhi solus tome.” The medic beside them spoke up for her, saying the first part of the vow.

Ezra looked up at Sabine and repeated the phrase. “Mhi solus tome.”

She clenched her teeth trying to wrestle her voice into speaking.

“Mhi solus dhar'tome.” The medic continued, feeding Ezra the lines of the vow.

“Mhi solus dhar'tome.” Ezra mirrored, his hand pressing against her cheek lovingly.

“Mhi me'dinui an.” He was coached again.

“Mhi me'dinui an” He said weakly. Sabine could feel her heart pounding and her body start to shake.

The medic looked to her and paused in his leading of Ezra’s words. She nodded at him to continue with the last line.“Mhi ba'juri verde.”

“Mhi ba'juri verde” Ezra finished.

Sabine took as much of a breath as her ribs would allow, and repeated the vow in a quivering voice. “Mhi solus tome. Mhi solus dhar'tome. Mhi me'dinui an.” Her breath hitched in a small whimper as she finished. “Mhi ba'juri verde.”

Ezra grinned when she’d ended. “Is that it? We're married?”

She swallowed thickly and nodded “Yes.”

"Zeb owes me a thousand credits." He wheezed and she laughed gently. His forehead knit “You can call me stupid if you want, but will you tell me what it meant that we said?”

She caressed his arm and hand still raised to her cheek. “We are one together. We are one when parted. We share all. We will raise warriors.” Pain in her ribs couldn’t stop the little sob that came out at the end.

“Ah.” he muttered. “I guess you’ll have to do that last one without me. Go find a couple of street kids and teach them to fight, ok?”

She took a gasping breath. “Ezra you’ll live! Please!”

She was completely shaking now.

“Don’t I get to kiss the bride?” He smirked, changing the subject.

She let out a trembling breath and leaned forward, gently kissing him. She could smell the bacta on his skin and taste blood on his lips. She had imagined many times what their first kiss would be like, but this had never crossed her mind. 

Pulling away, she saw the smile on his face. “I love you Sabine. Once more please.”

She leaned down again and pressed her lips to his softly.

The hand at her cheek went slack and she sat up. “Ezra?” She shook his hand still in her grip. “Ezra?”

Sabine looked towards the medic on the other side of him, fingers pressed to the boy’s wrist, searching for a pulse. He didn’t need to say what had happened, but just lowered his head in defeat, placing Ezra’s wrist back on the ground.

Sabine couldn’t breathe at first. Her heart froze, and her mind went blank. He couldn’t be dead.

“Ezra!” she took his face in both hands “Ezra, come back! Ezra!” She placed kisses to his cheeks and lips, not caring that she could still taste his blood in her mouth, or that she was trailing it over his face. “Ezra please!!!” she cried, tears streaming freely now. “You can’t leave me! Not now!!” She kissed him again desperately. “This is what you wanted! You wanted me to be yours and now I am! You can’t just leave!!!”

A low scream and sobbing sounded from her as she broke. Inhuman noises ripped from her chest, causing her lungs to ache. Every cry was agony as she let it escape her body.

She wept by him, surrounded by her loyal warriors until a ship landed nearby. Help had come, but it was already too late.

She collapsed next to him, completely exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically. This wasn’t real… it couldn’t be…

She turned to see his face again, his eyes were closed as if in sleep. She imagined he would wake up soon and turn to her with a laugh, teasing her at how scared she’d gotten.

But he didn’t.

She was in a daze as familiar figures approached. She couldn’t respond to any questions, or even really process what they were saying. Large purple hands of her lasat brother tried to pick her up off the ground. A scream wrenched her throat and she struggled back to Ezra’s side. “I won’t leave him! I’m his wife!”

She faintly comprehended the medic’s voice explaining to them what had happened.

Sabine had to wake Ezra up, she just had to!

Leaning over him she kissed his forehead and lips again. “Wake up Ezra!” She yelled hoarsely. “Why won’t you wake up?! This isn't funny Ezra!”

“Can you do something to put her to sleep? We need to move.” A strong female voice wavered with sorrow.

Sabine tried to struggle against them, but her body wouldn’t respond. She felt the drug entering her system making her mind fuzzy again. She barely registered Hera holding her and stroking her hair, whispering comforting words in her ear.

Sabine looked back to Ezra’s lifeless form and called out to him once more in a whisper. “Ezra, don’t leave me.” the darkness of sleep took her, and he was gone.

 

 


	6. Storybook kiss.

 

Sabine tossed in her bunk. She’d tried everything she knew to get to sleep.

She’d tried art, music, counting, deep breathing, and now she was running out of ideas.

Climbing out of bed she decided to find her data pad she'd had earlier that day. There was a novel she could finish and hopefully put herself to sleep. Searching her room and coming up empty handed, she thought back on where she'd last had it.

She wandered into the common area of the Ghost and finally spotted it.

The only problem was, it was being used by someone else.

“Ezra?” She whispered.

He jumped and looked up. “You scared me.” he said quietly.

“What are you doing with my datapad?” she raised an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest.

He smiled up at her. “Reading. You have some really cool stories on here.” He glanced at the datapad in sudden realization. “I hope you don’t mind.”

She shook her head and slid into the bench next to him. “What have you read?” Sabine often collected tales of adventure from across the galaxy, some fictional, some not. She had come to enjoy various writers and genres.

“Here.” He slid the screen closer to her “I was finishing the one about the nerf herder and the princess.”

She hummed “Oh yeah, that one.” Scooting closer, they read together.

They had worked out a system before where they would read silently to themselves and he’d nod when he was ready for her to scroll to the next page. She’d noticed when he’d joined their crew that he had read a lot slower than her, but he was much better now.

This story wasn’t specifically a children’s novel, but it was simpler in its form and grammar. He’d known the basics of reading and writing, but he’d made leaps and bounds in the short years they’d been together as a crew.

He yawned as they reached the final chapter. “Sleepy?” she asked.

He nodded “I’m glad the reading is working.” he smiled. “By the way, what are you doing up?”

She shrugged. “Probably the same as you. Couldn’t sleep so I decided to read.”

He nodded “Yep. I couldn’t sleep either.”

She yawned, feeling the fatigue starting to set in. “Let’s finish this last chapter so we can go to bed.”

He agreed and she scooted closer reading the first line. As she read down the page she started to feel more and more tired. She felt her eyelids wanting to close and her head getting heavy. Her head started drooping and when she jerked awake he flinched.

“Are you ok?” He put the datapad on the table. “You should go to sleep.”

She nodded “I should.” Her head dropped heavily onto his shoulder. “We’re almost done though. Just a few pages left.” She didn’t want to leave the story hanging.

He shifted and she sat up “Sorry.”

“No it’s ok!” he chuckled nervously. “You can lean on me.”

Her head nestled against his shoulder again. Normally she wouldn’t do something like this, but tiredness clouded her senses. She tried to concentrate on the story. The danger had been subsided and the couple was now ready to fly off together and live happily ever after. The story ended with a romantic first kiss between the two.

Ezra had leaned his head against hers sometime during the reading and now that they had finished he shifted, laying across the bench. Her body limply followed and she ended up laying across his chest held in his arms.

Listening to his heartbeat and breathing lulled her to sleep. She didn’t know how long she’d slept, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. She opened her eyes and tilted her head up to see if he was still awake. He opened sleepy blue eyes and smiled at her.

Her head dropped and her mind started wandering through the book they had read to keep her heart from pounding.

“It’s not very realistic.” She grumbled, her cheek pressed to his chest.

“What’s not?” he asked groggily. She could feel his voice thrumming through his sternum. 

“That last bit. I don’t think that would’ve been a good first kiss.”

His hand fiddled against her back. “Why not?”

She propped up to speak better. “I just think that first kisses aren’t usually some huge thing after a near death experience. I mean, it could happen, but honestly I’d prefer something more quiet.”

“Like now?” His eyes flit away from hers when he realized what he'd said.

Her eyebrows rose and her heartbeat quickened. So much for being sleepy a minute ago. She should’ve gone to bed.

“I mean…” he shifted nervously. “If you were to want to kiss someone, would it be in a situation like this? I didn’t mean kissing me specifically.” He smiled that lopsided grin and a blush flooded his cheeks. He really was cute.

“Yeah.” she answered. “This would be a perfect setting. Calm, comfortable, no one else around.”

He looked away again. She’d known of his love for her for a long time, and she’d grown very fond of him over the years. Why shouldn't she kiss him? In her introspection she found that she couldn’t find a good reason not to.

She leaned her head against him again. “Would you want to be kissed at a time like this?” she smirked while she felt his breathing and heart beat quicken.

“I guess.” he breathed out a laugh. “I don’t really know.”

She paused. “Have you ever been kissed before?”

He sighed, his breath tickling her hair. “Almost.”

She snuffed “Almost?”

“I wanted to kiss this one girl on Lothal, but never got the chance.” He took a breath “Her family moved to Alderaan and I wanted to kiss her goodbye, but chickened out. She was my only friend back then.”

Sabine felt for him, knowing how much being lonely and losing friends could hurt.

“Have you?” He asked.

She grimaced. “Yeah, but I didn’t like it.” she admitted.

“What do you mean?” He sounded concerned.

“It was my first kiss. I thought I liked him, but when he tried to go further than I wanted right away, it kinda made me sick.” When he didn’t say anything, she propped up again to look at him. He looked angry. “Ezra?”

His clear blue eyes connected with hers. “That shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault.” she studied his face and felt her heart leap into her throat. “Besides I don’t count him as a first kiss. So I could say I’ve never had a first kiss.”

She stared into his eyes and his expression softened. “We could fix that.” he breathed

Her heart fluttered “We could.”

He started to lean up toward her and she leaned forward.

This was it.

Would it be just like the last time that she’d been kissed?

Would it make her want to run away?

She closed her eyes and their lips connected softly and shortly.

He leaned his head back again, pulling away from her. He was smiling and she found that she was too.

She was actually happy.

It was so different than before.

This time she wanted more.

Scooting up, she leaned over him and pressed her lips to his.

She felt like a spark had started a warmth that spread through her heart.

She never wanted the feeling to end.

Pulling away to look at him she was taken in by the sight of his eyes closed and a soft smile in his lips. When his cerulean orbs opened she lost her breath.

Hugging tightly to him again she realized that she'd longed for this and had never known.

“We should get some sleep.” He said passing fingers gently through her colorful hair.

“We should.” She agreed, but didn't move.

After a few more soft kisses she laid her cheek on his chest again. She felt herself dozing off and didn't mind the soft kiss on the top of her head.

...

A soft nudge woke her up early. “Hey.”

She opened her eyes to see a huge figure standing over her.

Realizing that she was still using Ezra as a pillow and that Zeb was standing there smirking smugly at them, she smoothly moved to break away from the young Jedi.

“Nothing happened!” She quickly glared up at the lasat.

He chuckled “I didn't ask.”

Sabine looked back at the still sleeping boy. He really must've been exhausted.

“We stayed up reading and fell asleep. That's it.” She blushed madly, thinking of the way their lips had connected last night.

“Like I said. I didn't ask.” The tall lasat grinned at her with a look that clearly said he didn't believe her.

She shook her head and snatched up her datapad from the table before storming past him and toward her room. Reaching her quarters she closed the door behind her and had to laugh at herself for getting so flustered.

Looking down at the datapad she smirked. “Now that’s a first kiss.” she told it as though the story they had read could hear her.

Better than her storybook was the kiss she'd gotten from a certain boy. She smiled, passing her fingertips over her lips.

There better be another chapter to this story between them. She thought to herself with a grin. Many more.

 

 

 


End file.
